Midwest states share bat-disease funding

CHAMPAIGN — Illinois and seven other Midwestern states will share more than $280,000 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help combat white-nose syndrome among bats.

The frequently lethal disease among bats is named for the white fungus that appears on the animals’ noses. It was initially detected in New York in 2006-07 and has since spread extensively through the eastern United States and parts of Canada.

The money for natural-resource agencies in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin is part of $1.3 million in grants divided among 30 states.

The money is intended to help pay for research, bat monitoring and disease detection.